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Note for Note: The Making of Steinway L1037

January 24th, 2008

This afternoon we went to the MFA to see the Napoleon exhibit as well as a wonderful film:Note for Note: The Making of Steinway L1037.

It was a most charming film. There were lots of short interviews with the craftsmen who work there describing some of what they do, how much they love doing it, and how they learned from old timers and are passing down what they learn to new workers. There wasn't much explanation of how a piano actually works, but there certainly was a lot about how the people who worked there did their specialties. Even a short scene in Alaska at a lumber mill where the trees were being turned into lumber. I note that the case is painted and the Steinway Logo added very early in the process, long before any of the inner guts have been added. It takes almost a year from start to finish for each piano.

Lang Lang, Hèléne Grimaud, Marcus Roberts, Harry Connick Jr and several others played a bit and talked about what good pianos meant to them and how different each of them is. There were a couple of scenes of people trying out a number of pianos in the Steinway Studios and commenting on the differences. And a most delightful scene with a young boy who got his piano delivered and sat down to play it for his parents and grandparents in the living room. Everyone was absolutely beaming.

It's definitely worth seeing if you get a chance; it is going to play at the MFA a few more times and at other places (trailer here) as well. And we must make it down to NYC to go to the Steinway Factory Tour in Astoria (Mon and Tues at 9:30am)